by Kevin Cody
“You have two options. A cycle of constant repairs or replacement,” Hermosa Beach Public Works Director Joseph SanClemente told the City Council during his presentation about the Hermosa Beach pier.
He said pier repairs could extend the 60-year-old pier’s life another 45 years.
The cost of those repairs would be $210 million, according to an analysis by JMC2 Engineering, which SanClemente presented to the Council at its Tuesday night meeting.
The pier replacement option would cost $58.6 million, according to the JMC2 report.
Following SanClemente’s presentation, a third pier option was suggested by resident and council watchdog Anthony Higgins. And subsequently by Councilmember Michael Keegan.
The third option was no pier.
JMC2’s pier replacement estimate omitted financing costs, Higgins pointed out during the public comments portion of the meeting.
He estimated financing costs at $45 million.
“You’re not going to build a new pier out of existing funds. You need a bond measure. 30 years at six percent is $515 per year per property,” Higgins said.
“Residents might not think it’s worth rebuilding. You owe it to the public to explain the costs.”
Reaction to Higgin’s “third option” was like he had touched a Hermosa “third rail,” a subject thought to be too hot to touch.
Hermosa built its first, wooden pier in 1904, two years before Hermosa became a city, on a 24 to 23 vote. The pier has been replaced twice, in 1913, after a storm destroyed the wooden pier, and in 1965 when the current, concrete pier opened.
“Protect what makes this town special, and that includes the pier,” resident Eric Horne told the council, following Higgins’ comment.
“The pier, the schools, all exist because the Kennedy generation made sacrifices so future generations could enjoy something special,” Horne said.
“The question is does your generation save the pier, lose the pier, or kick the decision down the road to the next generation.”
A second resident, identified as Cristin M., said she attended the annual Poof 2 magic show at the Hermosa Beach Community Theater on Saturday, and that residents take the theater for granted.
“People also feel that way about the pier,” she said.
Councilman Rob Saemann echoed those comments.
“I agree the pier is part of what makes us what we are, and should never be removed,” Saemann said.
To help fund replacing the pier, he urged the council to think outside the box, and consider a restaurant or attraction on the pier.
Saemann then introduced a motion to direct the city staff “to begin the process for pier replacement by 2032.” Mayor Michael Detoy seconded the motion.
Keegan objected to the motion.
“In good conscience, I can’t move forward without a discussion on how we are going to pay for this.
“We’re a City Council, not the Federal government. We can’t pass this until we can pay for it. Are we going to get rid of the city yard,” he said, referring to a pending $20 million city yard improvement project.
Keegan then touched on the Third Rail suggested by Higgins.
“I don’t want to see my taxes go up $600 a year so I can walk on the pier three times a year. And I think I represent others who feel this way,” he said.
Councilmember Ray Jackson had objected throughout the meeting to city staff having asked the Council for a decision on the pier prior to submitting the engineering report for review to the Public Works Commission.
“This should have started with Public Works…for a deep dive, as opposed to us being given a soup sandwich and told to make a decision,” Jackson said.
City manager Steve Napolitan explained the decision to bypass the Public Works Commission was based on the magnitude of the pier decision, and the short time frame for a decision to be made.
Jackson made a motion to refer consideration of a new pier to the Public Works Commission.
Keegan, who has been at odds with Jackson since being elected to Council last December, seconded Jackson’s motion.
The motion passed, with support from Detoy and Francois, but not Keegan. He and Saemann voted against referring the issue to the Planning Commission.
Keegan explained his no vote by saying he wanted the pier expenses discussed at the upcoming budget and Capital Improvement Project meetings prior to Public Works investing time on the issue.
“Does the community want to saddle our city budget with loan obligations for the next 30 years for the city yard, a new pier, a new police facility and a remodeled city hall,” Keegan said.
“We need to get the pulse on the residents’ desires to fund a new pier that could take eight to 12 years to complete and cost in excess of $50 million,” Keegan added.
The Council voted unanimously to “complete high priority repairs to the pier.” The engineering report estimated those costs at $3.7 million.
The most recent repairs, completed in 2024, cost $3.1 million, according to the report.
Walk of Fame Plaques toss
The Council similarly rebuffed for similar reasons, the staff recommendation to replace the bronze Hermosa Surfer Walk of Fame plaques on the pier deck with stainless steel plaques along the pier railings.
The 60 current 1-foot by 1.25-foot bronze plaques allow water to seep into the pier deck, causing the pier rebar and cement to deteriorate, according to the JMC2 Engineering report.
Former Parks and Rec Commissioner Jani Lange, who has spearheaded the Walk of Fame for the past decade, asked the council to approve installation of new plaques on the pier railings.
“The Los Angeles Olympics are 849 days away. If the City does nothing to recognize Walk of Fame inductees, there will be nothing about Hermosa’s surfing history to attract tourists,” he told the Council.
Parks and Rec Director Lisa Nichols told the council that during a meeting of Surfer Walk of judges, “the overall sentiment” was in support of the pier railing plaques.
Kevin Cody
Keegan said he spoke to Walk of Fame judge, and Spyder Surf co-owner Dennis Jarvis, and that Jarvis is “adamantly against” the plaques on the pier railing. (Jarvis had been unable to attend the Nichols’ judges’ meeting.)
Keegan said he agreed with Jarvis that the bronze plaques should be relocated on Pier Plaza.
“It’s a walk of fame. Not a wall of fame,” Keegan said.
As he had with the Pier issue, Jackson objected to the City Staff bringing the plaque relocation issue before the council before having it reviewed by the appropriate city commission, in this case, the Parks and Rec Commission.
Jackson also objected to the pier railing location.
“The railing is a cutting board for the fishermen. The plaques will be covered with blood and guts,” he said.
Keegan made a motion to refer for review to the Parks and Rec Commission, with input from the Walk of Fame inductees, recommendations for “a location that will last for decades.”
Jackson seconded the motion, which passed with Saemann’s support. Detoy and Francois voted against sending the issue back to the Parks and Rec Commission. ER
